Philomena

Martin Sixsmith (Steve Coogan) is a former press secretary who was "resigned" in a dispute with the transport secretary. He is bitter and a laughing stock. As a former BBC reporter, he is approached by a waitress to do a story about her mother Philomena (Judi Dench). At a young age, she had a boy out of wedlock and was sent away to the nuns. There she works for them for 4 years to pay off her debt and her son was adopted to Americans. She had kept this secret for 50 years and now she wants to search for him. Martin takes Philomena to the convent but is given the polite runaround. It's only the start of a trans-Atlantic journey into the past.

The true life story is so compelling. It's been fictionalized a bit, but this is just a wonderful heartfelt story. Judi Dench is amazing. The best part of Philomena is her upbeat manner which always look for the best in everyone. It is truly incredible when she goes into the confessional. The conflict inside of her at that moment is heart breaking. The chemistry with Steve Coogan is light and emotional when it needs to be. It is a profoundly human story. Some critics may hate it for being anti-church. That is their prerogative but that would miss the profound love at its core.

Fabulous piece of work by all concerned. We get to see all sides of a single story without excessive back flips, cartwheels and other cinematic tricks. Coogan has got the measure of this story and pulls off a truly convincing performance as Sixsmith whilst Dench almost manages to do an entire film with a dialect....occasionally lapses but you may not notice. This is a real tear-jerker at points, thought provoking at many junctures and full of ironic humour. That's quite a feat and the more enjoyable for being so. I presume the timescale is roughly ten years ago so attempts at getting tech right for the period is still possible - amazing that so recent history can seem like centuries ago when we see old technology in use. I can see this film being a 'classic' long before it reaches any real age. Its the 21st century version of a 19th century Dickens tale, that it is.

Steve Coogan deserves utmost respect for producing and writing this film. His script is excellent, consistently witty and engaging on the surface whilst spinning many more layers beneath the surface which became unconsciously stirring. Normally with these kinds of films I find the humour becomes contrived, forced or inappropriate, like the writers/director buckle under a need to impress and please the audience. You won't find those jarring moments here - Philomena is expertly judged and balanced. The story itself is fascinating, and again Coogan's script steers clear from overt sentimentality to allow the humanity to speak for itself. A gentle, funny, heartbreaking and unforgettable film. I actually much prefer it to the Kings Speech.

My wife talked me into going, I wanted to see Captain Philips but she was adamant this time. We both grew up in Ireland and I didn't want to see another one of those movies focused on stereotypes, the marketing blob types like the Quiet Man and Ryan's Daughter...stereotypical nonsense that lampoon our history and our culture. Steve Coogan and Judy Dench, especially Judy got it just right from the very start. They were smart, witty, serious and most of all, Judy was 'Irish' They really got the spirit of an Irish mom, that cocktail of guilt, generosity, inferiority and a heart to care for the entire world spot on. Dench in the hotel thanking everybody for being 'so nice' and getting who her son was as a child as others were today trying to 'break the news' to her...she wasn't just a step ahead, she was years ahead. Really excellent, really well done. Beautiful!

Steve Coogan has said that Philomena is his reaction against cynicism - his attempt to make an honest and fundamentally sincere film. The biggest compliment that can be paid to him is that, in these goals, he has succeeded.

It tells the story of Philomena Lee (Judi Dench, who is as brilliant as ever), an elderly Irish woman whose child was taken away from her 50 years ago by an austere Catholic convent. Martin Sixsmith (Coogan) is the cynical, know-it-all journalist turned government spin doctor, recently sacked, who is on the look out for a story. After a chance encounter at a party, Sixsmith reluctantly takes up the 'human interest' story of Philomena's search for her son, Anthony.

The key to Philomena is the relationship between the titular character and Sixsmith. And it works. It really works, in fact. His cynicism, bordering on arrogance, is matched perfectly by her simple and completely sincere belief in common human decency. It could easily have been overly sentimental, but Judi Dench in particular does a remarkable job of keeping it grounded.

There's some very dark stuff here, and it's a testament to the script that the film does not become overwhelmed by it. The Magdalene laundries were awful places, yet this story is not about revenge. I was almost cheering when, at the end, Sixsmith gives one particularly odious nun a piece of his mind. But moments later Philomena accosts him and gives me a slap on the wrist. She does not want revenge or angry confrontation. She just wants the truth. It's a remarkable act of forgiveness, and one that, like Sixsmith, I could not agree with. But then, I'm just another cynical and bitter atheist. I have to say, this film made me angry at myself for being one. And yet it also made me pleased I wasn't a Catholic. Go figure.

Philomena is an incredible and heartfelt story. It's desperately sad, yet never overly sentimental. There's some genuinely funny moments, mainly emanating from the contrast between the wide-eyed and refreshing simplicity of Philomena's world view and the weary wryness of Sixsmith. If you get a chance, see it.